Running-gear for vehicles



No. s|3,225.

Patented 1an.v 2'4, 1899.

F. V. GIFFRD. RUNNING GEAR FDR VEHICLES.

(Application med ocr; 29, 1'89B) N 2 Sheets-Sheet l {No Model.)

No. 618,225. Patented lalfl.4 24, |899. F. V. GIFFDBD.

RUNNING GEAR FDR VEHICLES.

(Application med out. 29, 189s.)

(No Nudel.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

tric.

FRANK V. GIFFORD, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEV YORK.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,225, dated January 24, 1899.

Application iled October 29, 1898. Serial No. 694,865. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK V. GIFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Running-Gear for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

rIhis invention relates to that class of shortturning vehicle-gears in which the axle-spindles are capable of swinging horizontally on the ends of the axle and connected with the tongue or the thills, so that the turning movement of the latter is transmitted to the spindles. To prevent crowding or dragging of the wheels in turning the vehicle, the spindle of the inner wheel should turn about its pivot througha somewhat greater arc than the spindle of the outer wheel, so that when the tongue stands at an angle to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle the planes of the two front wheels are not parallel, but converge rearwardly and preferably to such an extent that the wheels turn in circles described from approximately the same center.

The object of my invention is to produce an efficient running-gear which effects this differential adjustment of the wheel-spindles and in which the connections between the tongue and the spindles assume at all times such an angle to the spindle-arms as to afford an advantageous leverage for turning the vehicles from one position to another.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure l is a bottom plan view of my improved running-gear, showing the wheels in their straight position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts in turning the vehicle. Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of one of the sliding connections in line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig.

- 4 is a vertical cross-section in line et 4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of one of the spindles and connecting parts in line 5 5, Fig. l.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several gures.

A is the front axle; A, the rear axle; B, the side bars, and B a cross-bar connecting the side bars.

The body of the vehicle is not shown in the drawings and may be of any ordinary construction.

E represents the spindles of the front axle, on which the front wheels F are mounted and which are pivoted to the ends of the axle by vertical pins or bolts e, so as to be capable of swinging horizontally on the axle. Each of these spindles is provided at its inner end with a rearwardly-projecting shifting arm c', arranged substantially at right angles to the spindle.

g represents longitudinal arms or links arranged on the inner side of the spindle-arms c and each pivoted at its front end to the front axle by a vertical bolt and having its rear end connected with the rear end of the adjacent spindle-arm by a transverse link g. The spindle-arms and the longitudinal links g are of the same length, so that the transverse links g remain substantially parallel with the front axle in all positions of the wheels.

H is a transverse steering bar or head pivoted centrally to the middle of the front axle by a Vertical bolt h', so as to be capable of swinging horizontally and provided on opposite sides of its pivot and cquidistant therefrom with rigid rearwardly-extending arms h. The rear ends of these arms are connected with the transverse-links or connections g' by connecting-frames I, so that the lateral movement of said arms, due to the turning of the steering-head, is transmitted to the wheelspindles through said links and the shifting arms e of the spindles. These connectingframes I are preferably of elongated triangular form and are rigidly secured at their outer angles 'L' to the transverse connecting-links r so that the frames while capable of moving laterally with said links always remain substantially at right angles to the front axle. The arms h of the steering-head have a combined sliding and pivotal connection with the inner longitudinal bars 1l of the frames I, so that when the steering-head is turned out of line with the front axle its arms slide in opposite directions on said bars and the rear ends of the arms are at the same time permitted to swivel on the frames to prevent binding of the parts on each other. The connection shown in the drawings consists of a vertical stud or pin j, capable of turning freely in an opening of the steering-arm h, and hava horizontal opening j', through which the IOO longitudinal or guide member of the connecting-frame passes loosely, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

K represents arms which extend forwardly from the steering-head and to which the thills L or the tongue is attached, as the case may be.

Upon swinging the steering -head on its pivot the two points of attachment of its arms h with the connecting-frames I swing in arcs concentric with the pivot of the steering-head and in the same general direction, but in somewhat different directions with reference to the front axle and its spindles. The point of attachment which controls the spindle of the outer wheel swings more in a transverse direction, while that which controls the spindle of the outer wheel swings more in a longitudinal direction, so that the spindle of they inner wheel is turned through a greater arc about its pivot than is the spindle of the outer wheel. This throws the two wheels ont of parallelism in turning the thills or pole and places the front wheels in positions in which their planes converge rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. By this construction when the vehicle is turned the transverse shifting link g', connected with the inner-wheel spindle, remains at a considerable angle to the shifting arm of said spindle, even when the wheel is lfor returning the wheels to their straight position.

The spindles E' of the rear wheels F are Apreferably adjusted in a similar manner and from the front steering-head, although this adjustment of the rear wheels is not indispensable.

The parts whereby the rear-wheel spindles are adjusted are constructed as follows: These spindles are pivoted to the ends of the axle in the same manner as those of the front wheels, and each is provided at its inner end with a forwardly-projecting shifting arm e2, arranged substantially at right angles to the spindle. g2 represents the links, similar to the links g, which are arranged parallel with the shifting arms of the spindles and on the front side of the rear axle. g3 are the trans= verse links connecting the spindle-arms and the longitudinal links g2, and l are connecting-frames secured to said transverse links. H is a rear T-shaped steering-head pivoted at its front end to the middle of the cross-bar B by a vertical pin m and having at its rear end a cross-bar H2. The outer ends of this cross-bar are connected with the longitudinal members of the frames I by sliding and swiveling connections 712, similar to the cor- `responding connections of the front steeringsite sides of its pivot and at their rear ends to arms o, extending laterally in opposite directions from the pivoted front end of the rear steering-head.

In order to obtain a suitable differential turn of the wheels, the arms h of the front steering-head and the arms H2 of the rear steering-head should be somewhat longer than the shifting arms of the wheel-spindles say about one-fourth longerl than said spindlearms-as shown in the drawings.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with an axle, of wheelspindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and each having a shifting arm arranged substantially at right angles thereto, a steering-head pivoted inthe longitudinal center line of the vehicle and provided on opposite sides of said line with laterally-extending arms, guides or frames arranged substantially at right angles to the axle and connected with said spindle-arms, respectively, and sliding connections which transmit the movement of the steering-head to said guides or frames, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with an axle, of wheelspindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and each having a shifting arm arranged substantially at right angles thereto, longitudinal arms or links pivoted to the axle on the inner side of the shifting arms of the wheel-spindles and arranged on the same side of the axle as said arms, transverse links connecting said shifting arms with said longitudinal links, guides or frames rigidly connected with said transverse links and arranged snbstantially at right angles to the axle, a steering-head pivoted in the longitu= dinal center line of the vehicle and provided on opposite sides of said line with laterally-extending arms, and sliding connections which transmit the movement of said steering-arms to said guides or frames, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the front axle and the wheel-spindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and having rearwardly-projecting arms, of longitudinal guide bars or frames arranged on the rear side of the axle and connected with the arms of said spindles, so as to move laterally therewith, and a steering-head pivoted to the middle of the axle and provided on opposite sides of its pivot with arms having a sliding and swiveling connection with said longitudinal guide bars or frames, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the front axle and the wheel-spindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and having rearwardly-projecting arms, longitudinal arms or links extending rearwardly from the axle and arranged on the inner side of said spindlearms, transverse links connecting said spindle-arms with said longitudinal links, guides or frames rigidly connected with said transverse links and arranged substantially at ICG right angles to the axle, a steering-head pivoted to the middle of the axle and provided on opposite sides of its pivot with rearwardlyextending arms and sliding connections be.- tween said arms and said guides or frames, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the rear axle and the wheel-spindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and having forwardly-projecting arms, of guides or frames connected with the arms of said spindles and arranged substantially at right angles to the axle, a steering-head pivoted in the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and provided at its rear end with a Cross-head, and sliding connections between the ends of said Crosshead and said guides or frames, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with `the front axle and the wheel-spindles connected with the ends thereof by vertical pivots and having rearwardly-proj eetin g arms, of longitudinal guide bars or frames arranged on the rear side of the axle and connected with the arms of said spindles, a front steering-head pivoted to the middle of the front axle and provided on opposite sides of its pivot with arms having a sliding Connection with said guide bars or frames, a rear axle provided at its ends with horizontally-swinging spindles having forwardly-projecting arms, longitudinal guide bars or frames connected with the last-named spindle-arms, a rear steering-head pivoted at its front end in the center line of the vehicle and provided at its rear end with a crosshead, sliding connections between said rear guides or frames and the ends of said crosshead,and connections whereby the movement of the front steering-head is transmitted to the rear steering-head, substantially as set forth.

fitness my hand this 20th day of October, 1898.

FRANK V. GIFFORD. 

